Family Matters II
by Kunfyoozd
Summary: The Titans try to adjust to life with Slade and Cain in the mix. Abel and Starfire deal with Noah's absence. Read Family Matters first, and review.
1. Desperate Measures

It was one month after the world had been saved from being enslaved by a megalomaniacal demon and his equally self-righteous twin sons. The Titans had tried with some success to continue on as if nothing major had happened but it was difficult. Starfire had grown attached to Noah in the day or so he had been in their care and was having difficulty coping. Cain and Abel's birthday was fast approaching and Beast Boy and Cyborg and Terra had insisted on throwing a party. Slade's rotting corpse was leaving a foul stench and Robin had demanded he find some way of getting rid of it. After being threatened by Cain, who had been threatened by Abel, he conceded into deodorizing every part of the Tower he had set foot in, which was limited to the living room and the hallway leading to the room he shared with Cain, who was the only one that could stand the putridity. And so it was that Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Terra planned the festivities, Slade patrolled the hallway and living room grudgingly spraying the air and himself with Oust while Cain kept a watchful eye on him and Abel balanced making sure Cain didn't try anything he would regret and comforting his hyper-emotional girlfriend, who was currently tearing up the room trying to find Noah.

"Starfire, he's not here!" Abel shouted as he barely ducked the mattress she had hurled over her shoulder. Her erratic emotions were making Abel feel queasy and it was hard enough staying on his feet without having to dodge his raging girlfriend's projectiles. She moved on to her dresser and swept the contents off of the surface. Her mood swung from blind panic to overwhelming grief. She fell into Abel and wept into his shoulder.

"He took him, Abel! Your future self came and took Noah!" Once again her mood took a dramatic turn and she grabbed Abel and slammed him into the wall. "Get out! I never wish to see you again! Leave!" Abel hurried out of her room and leaned against the other side of the door. Something slammed against it and he was knocked forward.

"Having fun?"

He looked up and saw Raven and Robin smirking at him. He got up and brushed himself off.

"Time of my life." He looked remorsefully at the closed door. "She's still hysteric. I don't get it, I knew she was emotional but I didn't think she would go ballistic. She threatened me with my life, for God's sake!" Abel rubbed his cybernetic arm and examined some of the scratches. A sudden wave of nausea came over him and he held his stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick!" he said and ran off to the bathroom. Raven watched the door and also felt the hurricane of emotions raging inside. She rubbed her temples and looked at Robin. He was blinking his eyes and shaking his head. As they passed Starfire's room the wave strengthened and they hurried past it.

"Poor Abel…" Robin said as he ran his hand through his purpling hair. He had stopped using gel and his hair fell over his eyes. Raven brushed it away.

"You should comb it to the side…" He grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers.

"Since when did you care about appearances?" She pulled her hand away and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"I don't. It's about practicality. How can you see where you're going if you've got a bunch of purple in your eyes?" Robin thought for a minute and grinned cheekily.

"As long as you're by my side I don't care if I see where I'm going." His grin broadened and Raven slapped him on the chest.

"You are such an ass." She said as she snuggled closer into his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her on top of her head.

"I know, but isn't that why you love me?"

"If I wanted to date an ass, I'd try for Beast Boy." Robin laughed at this. As they passed the room that Slade and Cain were in they heard arguing and stopped to listen. Cain was shouting at the top of his lungs while Slade retorted in that annoyingly calm voice of his.

"And why not?" Cain shouted.

"Because, boy, you are not the one that resurrected me. It was your older self." Slade replied.

"What is the difference?"

"Maturity." Slade said with a laugh.

"How dare you?" Cain shouted, his voice deepening.

"I dare, boy." Slade said, unfazed by the sudden change of Cain's tone. There was a dull thud and Cain said something that couldn't be heard. The door slid open suddenly and Robin and Raven barely kept their balance. Cain glared at them reproachfully. Robin straightened and his lips tugged at the sides.

"Boyfriend trouble?" he asked. Cain's glare turned into a confused stare.

"I will let that pass." He said and pushed through them. Robin watched him walk down the hall and turned back into Cain's room.

"So, why is he still here?" Raven asked, pointing at Slade's motionless corpse. Robin shrugged and put his arm around her again, leading her down the hall.

"As long as Cain leaves him in his room, I don't really care." Raven pursed her lips and looked up at him. "What?"

"I figured as soon as you got the chance you'd want him in jail." She said

"Well, this is more fun. Killing Slade seems to be the only thing that Cain will willingly do, so I figure; why not take advantage of it."

"You're sadistic." Raven said flatly.

"I know, but isn't that why you love me?"

"If wanted to date a sadist, I'd date… well, now that I think about it, we don't know any sadists… except for…" she looked toward Cain's room and shuddered. "Actually, I never fingered you for the type to be a sadist."

"I wasn't until about two months ago, when we… you don't think it could be something to do with our connection?" he said.

"Let's ask Abel."

"Haven't you read the book of Azar?"

"Only half-way. Besides, he needs something to think about other than Starfire's mood swings. You'd think she were pregnant." Raven stopped when she said this. "You don't think…" Robin shook his head.

"Abel wouldn't do that. Well, not yet anyway. If he did I'd probably have to arrest him or something. Come to think of it we're underage too."

"Maybe we should have some handcuffs handy next time?" Raven smirked at his stunned expression.

"When's 'next time'?" he asked after he had caught up with her.

"Sometime soon, I think. In fact, I'm sure of it."

TT

Abel laughed.

"So, our personalities aren't being intertwined?" Raven asked. Abel stopped laughing and grinned.

"No, no. Our personalities are all intertwined."

"So, why are you laughing?" Robin asked with his arms spread at his sides.

"Because you don't know why you're girlfriend loves you! I don't know if that's a worldly funny thing, but I find it hilarious that you, a trained detective and mentally connected to her, don't know."

"I was screwing around, man!" Robin threw his arms up.

"I know. It's the prospect of you actually not knowing."

"Do you know why Starfire's so attached to you?" Robin retorted.

"Yes." Abel replied slowly.

"How?" Raven asked with narrowed eyes.

"We talked about it. It's because we're the only Tamaranians on this planet. At first it was simply primal, but expanded a bit. I really love her and she really loves me."

"I thought it was pretty quick…" Robin said speculatively. "Is there anything else we should know?" Abel shook his head.

"If there is, it's not in the Book of Azar. Anything else?"

"If our personalities are intertwined, who's the sadist?"

"Cain and I."

"Ah. You?"

"Yeah. If you'd been there when I killed Slade then dislocated and broke my counterpart's arms and shoulders and then threw Carthatagon into the wall, you'd understand."

"I'm scared of you now."

TT

"Do you really think we should invite the Justice League?" Cyborg asked.

"Not the whole league. Just Batman… maybe Superman… and everyone else…" Beast Boy answered

"It's Batman I'm talkin' about, dude. Robin's never mentioned him. Don't you think there's a reason?"

"Cy's right, man." Terra said. Beast Boy frowned.

"Should we talk to Robin about it?'

TT

"I don't see why not." He said.

"Really? It's just we figured, since you never talk about him, that you two might've been on ice."

"No. I've just had other things on my mind. It was Batman's idea that I come. I think he's even got a new Robin."

"Another you?" Raven said jokingly. Robin smiled at her.

"What are we gonna do about Slade?" Terra asked. "He's bound to know about him."

"I don't know…" There was a crash followed by a small explosion and then silence from the direction of Starfire's room. "Do you think we should go see if we can help?" They all nodded in agreement and headed off. When they arrived at Starfire's room they saw Cain leaning against the wall with a smug smirk on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" Beast Boy asked. Cain pointed at the door as it opened and Abel stepped out, his hair was untied and all over the place and the look on his face told them that he had done something he greatly regretted. He slumped against the wall and slid to the floor, burying his face in his hands. Raven rushed to the door and looked inside. Starfire was floating and glowing with crimson light. Her eyes widened and she stared at Abel.

"You…"

"Yeah…" his voice was a near whisper.

"What?" Beast Boy said impatiently. "What did he do?"

"He…" Robin began. "He altered Starfire's memory…" Everybody gasped and Cain's smirk grew into a sadistic smile.

TT

The Titans had taken council in the living room.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Raven questioned calmly. Abel closed his eyes and sighed.

"Her grief was tearing her mind apart. I'm still not sure what was making her like that, but it was driving her into a state of insanity. I went in and altered the memories of Noah, made her think he was Cain's son."

"What!" Cain shouted, but was slammed into the ground. He stood with a scowl and resumed his position against the wall.

"Abel, you know that you have to alter any memories that are connected to that one."

"I know. I also altered our relationship. Since I couldn't completely change what she feels about me I made seem like we're very close friends, and that I've been here since she came and Cain came a little while after she did."

"And Slade?"

"She still remembers him as being a manic sadist. I changed the circumstances of his presence here. I made seem as though Cain had killed and enslaved him."

"You seem to know what you're doing. Are you sure you want this?" Raven asked.

"I don't really have a choice now, do I?" Abel replied with a snort. "If I tried to take back what I did, both of our minds would be destroyed."

"What about what you said about you're attraction to each other being primal, because you were the only Tamaranians on earth?" Robin asked.

"I made it seem as though she had gotten over it, because of our age difference. I'd like to be alone for a while." He got up and left.

Abel sat on the edge of the roof, the wind tugging at his braided hair. He watched the setting sun half-heartedly; it somehow reminded him of what he had done to Starfire. Abel looked up slightly when he caught Starfire's sent in the air. He knew she sensed something was wrong and turned to look at her. He smiled at her and she cocked her head to the side, not entirely convinced.

"What troubles you Friend Abel?" she asked as she sat down beside him. She had noticed him wince and placed her hand on his shoulder. He gently removed it and stood.

"I don't want to talk about it…" he made his way to door but stopped at her voice.

"Is it because of Noah?" He drew in his breath sharply.

'It didn't work?' he thought.

"I know you had grown attached to him when Cain's older self had come to take him away…" Abel sighed.

"Yeah, Star. I'll be okay soon, I promise." Starfire pursed her lips and turned to watch the setting sun, when he had left.

"I hope so friend… I cannot bear to see you in so much pain…"


	2. Shindig

September 24th arrived earlier than anyone had expected and guests, superhero and civilian alike, had started showing up without warning. Cain was groggily greeting the guests as they entered the living room from the elevator. It had taken more of Abel's threats to break him; no one knew what these were, but Cain always left their meeting area with a deathly pale face. Cain's façade was so convincing he even found himself enjoying the gathering; the food was exceptionally better than anything he had had back home and the beverages were much like some he had in Zynthos. He looked at the green bottle in his hand and took another drink. He looked around and found the other residents of the tower talking with other guests as well. The Tamaranian Starfire was fraternizing with one called Aqualad while his twin brother watched from where he talked with a civilian girl. The blonde girl, Terra, sat with the obnoxious green one, Beast Boy while he attempted to woo her with an annoying accent. His antics made her giggle and slap at him playfully. Cain searched the room for his sister and her lover and found them in the middle of the room on the dance-floor the one called Cyborg had set up. They were currently performing a dance called the Tango. Cain watched as they moved about the floor in unison, smiling at each other. He looked up at Cyborg selecting large black discs at a table of some sort surrounded by large boxes from which the music originated. Cain once again sought his brother out. He found him sitting on the couch with the red-haired girl and another girl sitting next to him, talking to them, trying hard to keep his eyes away from Starfire. Cain made his way through the crowd and plopped down in front of the trio. He held up his promise and attempted to sound as if he had been here for the past two years.

"Great party, no?" said as he plastered on a smile and held up his beverage. They all stared at him. "What?" he said and belched.

"Last I checked you just turned fifteen. Not twenty-one." Abel said.

"Excuse me?" he said.

"How many of those have you had?" Abel pointed at the bottle in his hand. Cain squinted at the label that read 'Heineken'.

"I lost count around five… Why?"

"That's alcohol. We neglected mentioning that, obviously. You're a few years under the drinking age. I don't even want to know how we got them."

"How long has he been here?" The black haired one asked.

"A month or so."

"And you never mentioned alcohol to him?"

"Well, he doesn't get out much. Occasional patrol is all the time he's had outside." Abel replied nonchalantly.

"Why?" the other girl asked.

"He's agoraphobic. He's really not much of a people person. Unless he's drunk obviously." The two girls laughed at this and Cain wondered if these two entirely sane.

"What are the effects of this alcohol?" Cain asked, suddenly interested.

"Grogginess, vomiting, fatigue…" he paused as he tried to think of something else. "A sudden urge to be stupid…" the girls laughed at this. "And given our increased constitution, five beers isn't enough to get you drunk." He said pointedly.

'Drunk?' Cain inquired telepathically.

'Intoxicated. The state of the side effects I mentioned.'

'Ah! You mean traxis!'

'Sure.'

"Bah. I said I lost count at five," Cain stated, "not interest." He began to take another drink but felt the bottle pulled from his grasp. He looked up at Abel as he downed the remainder of the drink and set the bottle on the table.

"Don't make it a habit." He said as he relaxed in the couch. Cain produced a package from his pocket and held it up.

"And what are these?" he asked.

"Cigarettes. Where the hell did you get those?" Abel replied as he relinquished Cain of the package.

"Some boy that dressed in black. He had a skull on his shirt. What do these things do?"

"Kill you very slowly." He said seriously. The girls still laughed. Now, Cain was sure they were 'drunk'.

"How do they work?"

"You light them, stick them in your mouth, breathe in, and kill yourself." He said in disgust. He watched as the drunken women collapsed on the floor in hysterics.

"They are like the ceremonial pipes of Zynthos?" Cain said as he watched the girls writhe on the floor in inappropriate mirth.

"If you say so…" Abel said with a sigh and his eyes drifted around the room, searching for Starfire. Cain sighed as the emotions washed over him.

"I know how you feel." He said with uncharacteristic softness. Abel looked at him with hooded eyes.

"Oh?" he replied with interest.

"I can feel the emotion pouring off of you like the waterfalls of Mizar. I don't sympathize, but I know what you are feeling. You did what was necessary to protect this girl's sanity. Even if it cost you your claims on her." Cain said.

"You really are drunk, aren't you?" Abel said with a smirk. Cain burst out laughing and doubled over. Abel laughed as he watched his drunken brother collapse with the girls that had been flirting with him.

"What is going on?"

Still laughing, Abel looked at his sister and Robin.

"He's drunk!" he exclaimed and fell on his side laughing.

"Are you?" Robin asked. Abel shook his head and tried to calm down.

"He came over here with a pack of cigarettes and a beer and I explained to him what they were-" he laughed. "Then these two started laughing. Then he started laughing. Now- I can't stop!" he held his stomach and doubled over. Raven watched them frowning in thought.

"Abel, hey, listen to me. Abel!" she slapped him. He blinked and looked at her.

"Ow." He said.

"You need to sober him up. Take him into the bathroom and- don't start again- take him into the bathroom use this." She waved her hand and a vial of green liquid appeared. Abel nodded, took the vial, and hefted his brother up. He left the room and turned the corner. Raven watched him disappear then turned to Robin. "I'm worried about him."

"He said he wasn't drunk." Robin replied with a shrug.

"Not that. I'm talking about the thing with Starfire. I don't think he's handling it very well."

"You and I both know he wouldn't openly admit that.

"I know… I just wish there was something we could do for him…"

"We just need to give him some time." Robin pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.

TT

Abel examined the liquid and glanced at his brother sitting on the toilet. He shrugged and removed the cork. The powerful fumes escaped and brought tears to his eyes. Abel held the vial under Cain's nose and waved it. Cain jolted and looked around frantically.

"What the Cruxid have you done to me?" he asked blearily. Abel replaced the cork and tucked the vial in the roll of his sleeve.

"How's your head?" Abel asked, ignoring the question.

"I am fine." Cain replied irritably. "What about the… party, correct?"

"Everything's fine."

"But, you are not."

"No." Abel sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Do you wish to discuss it?" Abel looked up at his brother suspiciously.

"Are you still drunk?"

"No. Do not think that this is an act of kindness. I am tired and wish to retire, but I cannot do so with your emotions so unstable. Now, speak."

"I don't know where to start…" Abel said with a sigh.

"Do you regret it?" Cain stood from the toilet and floated with his legs crossed.

"Regret it? No. I just… I just can't help but think how she would react if she ever found out the truth…"

"You are absolutely certain of your decision?" Though he would deny it, Abel felt a twinge of concern from his brother.

"Yeah. I'd rather she were sane and not mine than _in_sane and not mine. I mean, it's not like I'd abandon her if she ever went off the deep end… I just don't know if I could bear to see her like that…" Abel looked into the mirror and stared into it, unseeing.

"You are calm now. I am going to my bed." Cain said and drifted toward the door. Abel looked at his brother's retreating form and sighed.

"Thanks, for listening…" he said in a tone that suggested that he knew his brother had not been listening.

"It was no trouble." He replied and continued.

"You were listening?"

"Yes, brother, I was." Without another word Cain left Abel alone in the bathroom. Abel smiled and walked to the toilet to relieve himself.

TT

"Where are Cain and Abel?" Beast Boy asked as he and Terra approached Robin and Raven.

"I was wondering that myself." Said a deep voice to their left. The four of them turned toward the ominous form of Batman. "Where are the Birthday Boys?" Robin stood and smiled at him.

"Batman." Batman smiled a tight unpracticed smile.

"Richard." Beast Boy furrowed his eyebrows.

"_Richard?_" he asked. Robin looked at him with concern.

"I don't think he stuttered. Did you stutter?" he asked Batman.

"I don't believed I did." He replied seriously. Beast Boy snapped into a stiff position and saluted.

"No, Batman, sir. I wasn't suggesting you did. Robin's never told us his real name."

"You've never told them your name?"

"She knows." He said pointing at Raven. Something in his stomach told him he shouldn't have said that.

"Oh? And why is it that she knows and the others don't?" Batman asked calmly.

"I was going to tell them… I just never came around to it." Robin replied just as calmly. Batman raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"You've grown up." As he said this, a boy with spiked black hair, wearing a red, yellow, and black costume showed up with a soda and a bag of chips. "This is Timothy. Tim, Richard. Richard, Tim." Richard held his hand out to the other boy. Tim fumbled with his bag and can and managed to extend his own hand.

"Richard." He said through a mouthful of chips.

"Tim." Richard replied with a smirk.

"Tim." Tim turned around as Abel walked up to them.

"This is Abel," Raven said. "Where's Cain?"

"Bed." Tim held out his hand.

"Abel."

"Tim. Batman."

"Abel."

"Cyborg."

"Hey, guys. What's up? Holy crap…" Cyborg said as he saw Batman. Batman nodded curtly.

"Great party, huh?" Abel said exuberantly. Raven looked at him with concern.

"Abel, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just talking with Cain before he went to bed. Then as I was walking back, I saw Starfire and Aqualad going at it in the hallway. They make such a cute couple don't you think?" He replied with an incredibly large smile.

"Is he okay?" Tim asked.

"He's fine. He gets like this when he's had too much sugar." Robin replied quickly. "He just needs to get some rest." He said pointedly. Abel nodded and turned around.

"Sleep, right. I'll go to sleep. Maybe I'll see Aqualad on the way and I can give him a good kick in the teeth." he mumbled as he walked away.

"So… who wants cake?" Beast Boy asked.


	3. Bonding

"I'm sorry about that, sir," Robin apologized, nearly shouting over the music. Batman nodded.

"I'm sure there's a good reason. One that would probably baffle and confuse anyone you told. I understand," he replied. Robin smirked. His eyes drifted to where Raven was dancing with Tim.

"He's good," Robin noted. Batman considered him for a moment then nodded.

"He should be. Alfred and I taught him everything he knows." He paused and looked at Robin again. "Richard. What did you do to your hair?" His tone gave away no hint of surprise or anger. Robin hastily ran his hand through his hair.

"What do you mean?" he stammered.

"I _mean, _your hair is purple."

"You can see it?"

"You were trying to hide it?" Robin let out a heavy sigh.

"It's… complicated…"

"Oh?"

"Raven and I are dating."

"And she asked you to dye your hair? I find that hard to believe." Still his tone did not betray his true feelings.

"She wouldn't do that!" Robin breathed in deeply and let it out slowly. "This is naturally… well… supernaturally would be better, I guess…"

"I think I understand what you're talking about." Robin looked up.

"You do?"

"Is it permanent?" Batman asked.

"Yes." Robin replied guiltily.

"Robin, it's fine. I sent you here because I felt you were ready for this kind of responsibility. I am obligated to have faith that you're making sound decisions." Robin nodded. Batman placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it fondly. "I'm proud of you, Richard. Although, I don't know about your parties," he said, indicating the empty Heineken bottle.

"I have no idea how that got here." Robin replied with a helpless shrug. "So, how's the Justice league?"

"They're fine. I think Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern are here." Batman said, looking around for his friends. Robin immediately spotted The Flash, Superman, and the Green Lantern, due to them being surrounded by fans. Wonder Woman was over by snack table.

"Do you ever go back to Gotham?" Robin asked.

"Whenever I get the chance. Barbara and Tim take care of things while I'm at the Watchtower. She misses you."

"Yeah… I miss her, too."

"But, now you have Raven."

"Right."

"She's seems nice. I never thought you the type for Goths."

"She's not Goth _per se_. She just doesn't show her emotions because they control her powers. Recently, she's been more emotional; laughing and smiling more often, she cried because of a book she was reading. That was strange… She's not a drama queen, but she's not an ice queen, either… Y'know what I mean?" Batman nodded in understanding.

TT

Cain opened his eyes and looked around. The stench of Slade's corpse struck his nose and almost threw him off of his bed. He stood and walked to the door and pressed his ear against it. Silence. He opened the door to find the hallway empty and stepped out. Before he was all the way through the door, however, Slade's voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?" he asked. Cain turned to him and scrunched up his face.

"Out."

"Your brother will find out and bring you back. Forcefully or otherwise."

"Let him try." Cain twitched his head and Slade slumped over where he sat. "Filthy corpse," he mumbled as he walked out. He had decided to leave on foot, because using his powers would alert his siblings of his actions. He stopped first at Robin's room, entered and searched for something to disguise himself. He found a large leather coat and donned it and departed. He made his way stealthily down the hall, dodging into the shadows as the occasional wanderer made his or her own way down the hall. He looked tentatively into the living room and found the others preoccupied; Robin spoke with a large, foreboding man wearing a pointy-eared mask while Raven danced with another boy dressed similarly to Robin. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Terra were playing a game of some sort. Cain smirked as he blended into the crowd and made his way to the elevator. The constant dinging of the elevator provided him with a simple means of escape. The elevator door opened and revealed the reception area and the large front door. Cain stepped out and made his way to the door. When he was almost there he noticed a movement in the shadows and stopped to examine the spot. He found nothing and moved on. Once outside, he boarded the ferry that was taking guests to and from the island and smirked at his victory.

TT

Abel cracked an eye open and set his legs on the floor. He opened his door and walked out. He stepped into the room across from it as Cain walked by. Abel stepped out and followed his brother to Robin's room, where he disappeared for about five minutes. Abel walked by casually and rounded a corner and waited. Cain walked by the hallway he had turned, wearing a long black coat. Abel immediately knew what he was planning and looked for a ventilation shaft. He lifted the vent cover and dropped down into the vent. He walked in a crouch until he came to a drop. Abel stepped off the edge and fell until it came to an end, stopping himself with his powers. He walked until he came to the reception area. He opened the vent just as Cain walked by and hurried away as he walked over to investigate. Abel stepped out of his hiding spot as Cain walked away and followed him onto the boat. Abel veered off to the left while Cain continued forward.

TT

"This is getting out of hand!" Robin shouted to Raven.

"The ferry just left… we'll have to wait until it gets back."

"Damn it. I found out who brought the alcohol."

"Oh?"

"Some Goth kid. Found him passed out in the bathroom." Raven nodded.

"I'm gonna go check on Abel and Cain. Make sure they aren't getting into any trouble."

TT

Cain breathed in the salty air and felt a pang of homesickness. He leaned over the rail and watched as the dock got closer and closer. When the ferry reached the dock, Cain mingled with the crowd and stepped off the boat. Standing on the sidewalk, watching as people came and went, he realized something; he had no idea where he was.

"Damn it."

Cain looked up and down the street and started walking to the right. After fifteen minutes of walking, he came across something that caught his interest. It was a bank, and it was being robbed. Cain stepped in and examined the situation. The citizens were all lying face down on the ground while the robbers gathered up large amounts of green paper. Cain recognized the paper as currency, and knew what the criminals were doing. Though he didn't personally care for the outcome, he knew that he would be punished if Abel or Raven found out he had let this transgression continue. The culprits were a trio of teenagers; a large hairy, a short one in a green bodysuit of some sort, and a pink-haired, pale-skinned girl in a black and pink dress. She was the most beautiful girl Cain had ever seen, and she looked exactly like someone he knew.

"Stop," he commanded. The three of them stopped and stared at him. The pink-haired girl's eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Abel. How nice of you to join us," she said and walked over to him. She placed his hands on his chest and smiled at him, "Finally left those stinking Titans?" she placed her hands on his chest and Cain felt his heart start to beat faster.

"Take your hands off of me wench," he slapped her hands away and she recoiled, "do not mistake me for my worthless brother." Cain had meant this to be scathing. The girl, however, was only invigorated by this new information.

"There's two of you? That should make for an interesting night!" Cain cocked an eyebrow and removed her hands from his chest again.

"As inviting as that is," he paused to process what he had just said. He shook his head slightly and released the girl's hands, "your actions are deplorable and must come to an end." Jinx cocked her own eyebrow and smiled.

"How about this; we'll drop everything and leave, if you promise to go out with me." Behind her, her accomplices stared at the two of them. The short one dropped his bags and ran up behind her.

"Jinx, what are you doing?" he shouted in the most annoying voice Cain had ever heard, "You're gonna give up all this loot for some guy you just met?" Jinx waved her hand and he went flying into the vault. Cain's eyes widened and stared at the girl. She stared back at him.

"Well?" Cain considered her for a moment. He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but he knew that if he got them to stop what they were doing, he would be on good terms with his siblings and would hopefully be allowed some more freedom.

"Very well." Jinx smiled and turned to the large hairy one.

"Pen and paper." The large boy hurried to the booth and retrieved a pad and pen. He handed them to Jinx and stepped back. Jinx scribbled something on the front page and tore it off. She handed it to Cain. "Pick me up there on Saturday at, say… noon." Cain took the paper and looked at it. It was number and name. Cain nodded and put it in his coat pocket. Jinx snapped her fingers and the large boy obediently walked out. The short one climbed out of the vault muttering. Cain caught a bit of what he was saying; "Razzle Frazzle pretty-boy" and "Cake sniffin' witch", whatever that meant. Cain stopped him and lifted him up. The boy started squirming and cursing.

"Put me down you snot-nosed scuzbag!" Cain raised his eyebrows and turned him upside down and started shaking him. Three bags as large as he was fell out of the neck of his suit and Cain was baffled as to how he managed to fit them in there. Cain released him and he landed on the floor in a heap. Out of the corner of his eye, Cain noticed the large one trying to tiptoe out of the building. Cain reached out and lifted him up with his powers. Four bags fell from his person and Cain racked his brain trying to figure out how it was possible.

"Shame on you, Gizmo! And you, Mammoth!" Jinx exclaimed accusingly. Cain looked at her and narrowed his eyes. She smiled and tugged on her collar. "We can do a strip search if you want." Cain twitched his hand and a bag fell to the floor from underneath her skirt. "Damn, you're good! This doesn't change anything, does it?" she asked hopefully.

"I will consider it." Jinx pouted and lifted Gizmo by the back of his neck and walked out. Mammoth followed helplessly and left Cain standing in the middle of the building with stunned civilians. "Go about your business." As he turned to leave he heard them clapping. He turned around and stared at them in confusion. He shrugged and walked out.

TT

Abel leaned against the outside wall of the bank, listening to everything going on inside. He hid in the shadows as Jinx walked by carrying a cursing Gizmo by the neck and Mammoth following closely. He heard applause inside the bank and leaned forward to peak into the window. Cain stood there as the civilians applauded, unsure of what to do. Cain decided he would bow once or twice and departed. Cain rounded the corner and leaned against the wall next to him.

"I know you were following me."

"I know you knew. And I know you knew I knew."

"What?"

"Never mind. Do you have any idea what you just got yourself into?"

"No. What is this 'H.I.V.E.'? And 'Saturday', what is that?"

"Saturday is in two days. And the 'hive' is an acronym. I have no idea what it stands for. It's a school that those three attend."

"And 'go out'? What does that mean?" Abel smiled.

"It's a date." Cain stared at him blankly. "You know… go out to a movie, go to dinner, something like that. You, little brother, are on your way to having a girlfriend, though you could have picked someone better." Cain leaned his head against the wall and sighed. "Something wrong?"

"I cannot believe I have forgotten until now… there was a chambermaid in Zynthos, a human… we had been having an affair for three years."

"Three years! You're fifteen!" Abel exclaimed.

"And? What's so wrong about that? Isn't Starfire seventeen?"

"Yes, but you said you were having an affair. That _usually _involves sex."

"You mean intercourse? There was plenty of that."

"We're gonna have to straighten some things out, you and me. Why did you just now bring this up?"

"That girl… Jinx, looks exactly like Tarisin…" Abel felt a wave of sadness from his brother and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Something bad happened." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Father found out and had her executed." Cain's sadness turned into anger and he kicked a street lamp, bending it; people nearby stopped to stare. Abel repaired the damage and led his brother away from the scene.

"C'mon, we'll get some ice cream or something."

"Ice cream?" Cain asked after wiping at his eyes.

"You'll love it."

TT

"AAAAAARRRRRGH!"

"I guess I should've warned you about that part." Cain clutched at his head and pounded his fist into the table. "Stop it. You're making a scene."

"What the _cruxid_ is this?" he shouted.

"It's brain freeze. That tends to happen when you try to stuff a whole spoonful of ice cream down your throat. Don't worry," Abel paused to take a bite out of his cone, "it's not actually your brain freezing over. It's just the nerves in the roof of your mouth overreacting to the cold of the ice cream." Abel popped the remainder of his cone in his mouth and watched as his brother tried to ignore the sensation in his head. After a while he stopped writhing and breathed heavily. He pushed the remainder of his ice cream away and Abel picked up the spoon and started on it.

"That… was worse than the punishment for theft in Zynthos…"

"And that is?"

"They cut off your fingers one by one. Then they cut off your hands." Abel stared at him.

"Wow… here it's a heavy fine and maybe a year or so in prison…"

"Prison?"

"Yeah, you know. Usually a nine-by-nine cell you share with some guy namedFrank that wants to be your 'special friend'." Cain stared at him. "Just hope you don't have to go there. I don't think the other inmates would be able to handle you."

"Was that a compliment?" Cain asked. Abel shrugged and stuck his spoon in his mouth.

"If you say so." Cain shrugged and looked around the food court. There were many food shops with names that did not make sense to Cain. 'Krispy Kreme', for example. Not only was it spelled wrong, it was an oxymoron. As far as Cain knew, cream cannot be crispy, unless it's been sitting out for a week. And 'Panda Express'. What the cruxid is a panda? And does that place serve them as a delicacy? Cain continued to look around until he saw a dark room with a large glowing sign over it that read, 'Arcade'.

"What is that?" Abel looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"I'll show you." Abel stood and walked to the room. Cain stood and followed. The room contained large boxes with many sticks and buttons, even a few which had strangely shaped objects attached to them. Cain stepped up to one in particular that read 'Time Crisis 2'. Cain picked up the blue object and turned to Abel.

"What is the purpose of this?" Abel leaned forward and put two coins in each slot and picked up the red object.

"It's a light gun. Point at the people shooting at you and pull the trigger. Here, aim at the sign that shows two people and shoot." Cain did so and Abel did like wise. The screen showed a large building and then a room with a woman in it. Cain's finger twitched and she suddenly disappeared and was replaced by two men entering a hallway.

"What did I do?"

"You skipped the cut scene. It's fine, it wasn't really important, anyway. Here we go. By the way, in order to shoot, you need to hold that pedal down, and to reload release and then press it again." He turned back to the screen and began pulling the trigger. Two of the men disappeared from the screen. Cain took aim and pulled the trigger. The remaining enemies disappeared in a matter of seconds. A man in a black suit appeared and began shooting at them with a machine gun. Cain and Abel began firing at him and he eventually ran away. The word 'wait' appeared on the screen and there characters began moving toward the window. They exited the window and the screen went blank. There were groans from the other people in the room as the power went out.

"What happened?" Cain asked. Abel looked around and frowned.

"Power outage," he stated, "it might be Overload. C'mon, let's see if we can find him." Abel stuck the light gun in its sheath and walked away. Cain followed suit. Once outside Abel raised his hand and the room was suddenly filled with light. "Nobody panic! My brother and I will handle this!" he shouted. The people started cheering and clapping. Abel muttered something and the lights came back on. "Let's go."

TT

"What the hell?" Raven said from her position on the couch. The party was over, all the guests were gone, and everything was cleaned up. Raven had gone to her room and gotten a book and decided to read.Just when she thought she would have some peaceful quiet time to readthe lights decided to flicker and die. Raven walked to the computer console as the emergency power kicked in. she pulled up the schematics of the city and showed that there had been a mass power outage.

"What's up?" Robin asked as he entered the living room.

"Power outage; this has Overload written all over it. Where is everyone?"

"Asleep. I was in the gym."

"Hmm. Cain and Abel are in the area. I'm sure they can take of it."

"What are they doing out?"

"Bonding. That's what Abel said anyway. I'm going to bed, care to join me?"

"It would be my pleasure." With melodramatic regality, he offered his arm and held his hand out toward the hallway. Raven decided to play along and linked her arm in his. "Your room or mine?"

"We never seem to go in your room."

"As her majesty commands. Anything you want tonight."

"Still got those handcuffs?" Robin smiled and led her to his room.

"I'm sure I've got a few lying around somewhere."

TT

The power plant was empty. It seemed that way, anyway. Cain and Abel cautiously walked through the plant, searching every corner. There was an explosion in another room and they glanced at each other and nodded. They closed their eyes andmelted intoblack shadows of themselves and ran silently through the walls until they came across the room that was the source of the explosion. They peeked into the room and saw there was no one inside. They walked in and made themselves tangible again and searched for the catalyst. Cain noticed something on the floor and picked it up. He held the black card up to his brother.

"That's Overload. It looks he… well… overloaded," Abel said and took Overload from his brother. He stuck the card in his shirt pocket and turned toward the door. "C'mon, let's go."

"Wait. That's it? He causes the lights to go off and then destroys himself? There has to be more to it than that." As he said this, a large creature loomed up behind him and growled. Cain raised his eyebrows at his brother andleapt into the air and kicked the creature in the face. The creature snarled and retreated a bit and took up a defensive posture. Cain started after it but was stopped by Abel. "What are you doing?"

"It's afraid. I can see it in its eyes. It thinks we're a threat."

"Are we not?" Cain protested.

"Not, if we don't need to be. If you're going to live with us, you'll need to learn when it is and isn't necessary to fight." Cain sighed.

"I will try, brother."

"You will?"

"How much choice do I have?"

"True. Now, help me convinceit not to try and kill us."

"Very well."

I need reviews! Well, technically I don't, but it's nice to know what you think. The next chapter won't come until I recieve at least five reviews. Reviewing won't affect whether or not I continue. I'll continue the story, but I won't post until I recieve five reviews for the most recent chapter. It's the thought the counts, right? Of course it is. Now, review... please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top? That's as far as I go. I have to protect what little dignity I possess.


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